Dark-and-Light
by Tisae
Summary: This is the result of an idea that was sparked during a rather odd conversation with some of my guildmates in Elsword. Thanks go out to all of them for being kind enough to let me use them as characters!
1. Chapter 1

The palace and headquarters of the famed guild Dark-and-Light was… astounding, to put it simply. From the outside, it had looked grand enough—but now, standing in the massive hall that was the throne room, I could appreciate its true glory. The room was larger than any other room I'd seen in my life, its ceiling and walls so far away from my viewpoint that it almost felt like I was outside. The interior design was stunning as well, and very suited to the guild's needs.

The entirety of the guild was split into two sides which cooperated and functioned together like a regular guild, but were still that tiny bit set apart. The two sides were—as stated in the guild's  
name—Dark and Light. As such, the entire palace was separated into these two sides, the Dark side's interior decorated with black or dark purple walls, ceilings and floors, and contained furniture and equipment of the same colours, while the Light side sported a vibrant white and gold.

The throne room, the entrance and center of the large building, was split through the  
center—the left side belonging to Dark, and the right belonging to Light.

I gazed up at the thrones at the back of the room from where I stood in the center. The one on the left was a pure obsidian, while the other was a stunning white marble. More importantly, though, was the thrones' occupants.

The twin queens of the guild Dark-and-Light, each leading one of the two sides, yet joint together in an undying friendship.

Sitting confidently in the obsidian throne, one leg crossed over the other and a grin on her face, was Eslaya, Queen of Darkness and leader of the Dark side of the guild. Her purple hair was tied back to either side of her head, and her outfit seemed to be a mix of an adventurer's outfit and clothing of royalty. It was well known that she was greatly respected as one of the main minds behind the operation of the guild, although she humbly deferred control of the guild to the Queen of Light, who was the sole Guild Master.

Her name was Kailla, and she smiled at me kindly as I stared in awe at the two figures at the back of the room. Huge, bony wings I recognized as trophies from the Gates of Darkness emerged from her back and spread to either side of the marble throne. Although her position in the guild named her the Queen of Light, she was queen of something much more important. She was a witch of the dimensions—the Queen of Time and Space.

My heart pounding in my chest, I took one step forward. Then another. Soon I stood before the thrones, and the rest of the guild was fanned out in a semicircle around me.

They were an interesting array of people, ranging from some of the awakened Nasod princesses to archers, swordsmen, and some carrying around massive cannons—I'd heard the cannons were called Destroyers.

I had started to open my mouth to speak when Kailla stood up, stretched a bit, and walked over to me. "So," she started, "I hear you want to join our guild."

I closed my mouth, and simply nodded.

"We don't invite just anyone, you know."

I swallowed and nodded again.

"What can you do?"

This was the question I'd been waiting for. I forced my nerves to calm down, and held up my white staff, the soft feathered wings on the end slowly waving back and forth with the magic the staff held. "I'm a magician," I said simply, "and I'm pretty confident in my skills."

"Oh?" A look of intrigue crossed Kailla's face. "Essy?" She called back to Eslaya.

The Queen of Darkness, silent until now, stood up and stepped towards me. "Of course," she murmured to Kailla.

It's hard to describe what happened next. The room went black, and all I could see was Eslaya standing before me. A ring of light seemed to flash out from her, and I found myself unable to move. A flash of terror rushed through my mind, and I instantly reached out to my staff for magic to repel this binding the Queen had placed on me.

The magical binding seemed to hold against my onslaught for a moment, and then disappeared with a _snap_.

Blinded by a momentary rage, I instinctively called out to the magic to summon a Hell Stone—a spinning, spiked chunk of rock—and aimed it directly at Eslaya.

Of course, she reacted immediately, and, to my surprise, summoned another Hell Stone to block mine. The two grinded together for a few seconds, but both soon faded and the world returned to it had been—except the entire guild was staring at me, and I had fallen to my knees in shock.

A hand reached out to me, and I glanced up to see the Queen of Darkness. She had a wide grin plastered across her face. "You use the same magic I do," she said incredulously. "I'd like it very much if you were to join the Dark.

Kailla laughed. "Well, I suppose that's decided."

I blinked, and, gathering my wits, took Eslaya's hand. She pulled me to my feet and the rest of the guild, having overcome their own shock and were beginning to clap. Many of them called out to me in congratulations. "Welcome to the guild!"

Eslaya looked at me and tilted her head to the side, still smiling. "What's your name?"

"Tisae."

She nodded, processing this, and turned to face the rest of the guild. "Everyone, may we welcome our newest guildmate Tisae as the Princess of Darkness!"

A gasp ran through part of the crowd, though others had obviously been expecting this.

"What…" I started to mutter, but realizing no one could hear me, I spoke up. "What exactly does that mean?"

Eslaya turned back to me. "It means you're my successor. If anything happens to me, you'll be the new Queen of Darkness." I gaped in surprise. She noted my reaction, and laughed. "Don't worry," she continued, "I'm not planning on dying anytime soon."

Kailla gave me a quick tap on the shoulder. "Let me be the first to say I'm glad to have you here." She flashed me a grin. "I've never seen anyone repel Essy's binding that quickly before."

"A—ah… Thank you… Queen—" As soon as I spoke the word 'queen', she interrupted me.

"Just call me Kailla. We don't call each other by fancy titles around here. After all," she poked my shoulder playfully, "we're all family here."

The rest of the day was a little more than slightly chaotic, spent wandering the palace in an attempt to remember the layout, and meeting countless guild members, some distinctly more interesting than others. A magician girl named Yukari, dressed up like a vampire, insisted that I call her Yukari-senpai. A swordsman with spiked red hair and two large blades strapped to his belt, Naka, warned me very seriously that if I ever harmed Kailla, I would die a painful death.

Needless to say, my dreams were very interesting that night.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I awoke to the clamour of the guild members all rising and preparing for the day ahead. I had been temporarily assigned one of the guest rooms in the Dark's quarters, and I had to say, the quality of the rooms was simply stunning. A black chandelier hung from the ceiling of—from what I could tell—every room, each one lit with small purple flames. A small array of furniture lined the walls, all of course sporting the black and purple theme of the Dark side of the building. And the  
bed—oh, the wonderful bed. It was the softest I'd ever lain on, and the blankets and pillows were simply supreme as well.

Realizing that obsessing over beds was probably not a very healthy thing for one's mind to do, I shook my head at my own idiocy and quickly put on my outfit, grabbed my staff, and walked out of the room.

Judging by the bright light coming in through the windows in the hall, it was already well into the morning, and my new guildmates had let me sleep in. Or… did all of _them_ sleep in, making me have woken up at the average time around here?

Shaking this, among many other pointless, sleepy thoughts out of my head, I made my way through the halls to where I hoped that the throne room was.

It was, indeed, not where I'd expected it to be, and after a few minutes of wandering the black halls, I found something notably more interesting than the throne room—the kitchen.

It wasn't a grand affair. The cooking apparatus' scattered throughout the room were simple, to the point, and seemingly effective, looking at the numerous people contentedly sitting at small wooden tables painted a dark, mysterious violet, silently eating a wide array of breakfast foods.

After a few minutes, two cups of tea and some toast, I left the kitchen and wandered the halls once again—luckily though, I was able to find help with navigation this time.

It was another of the red-haired swordsmen—he looked very similar to Naka, the one from the day before, yet somehow projected an air of… confidence?

He glanced at my lost expression as he started to pass by me and grinned, amused. "You're Tisae, huh? The new Princess of Darkness?"

I looked up at him, surprised. "Yeah, I'm Tisae… who are you? I didn't see you there yesterday."

He laughed. "I was out—well, I'm almost always out. I don't live here, like most of the others do. I'm Kutaki." He reached out his hand, and I took it, already opening my mouth to ask the obvious question.

"Why?" I blurted. "Why don't you live here?"

"Ah, it's just a matter of preference, really." He shrugged casually. "Plus, where am I supposed to sleep? I'm not in Dark or Light, so there's no rooms for me here." He answered my next obvious question before I asked it. "No, I'm not on either side. I'm solo. That's just how I operate." He grinned. "I'm not the only one, either. There's someone in the throne room you should meet." He pointed down the hallway. "Down there and to the left."

He started to walk by me, heading to the kitchen, and I turned to ask him who I should meet, but changed my mind. I'd pestered him with enough questions for one morning.

Entering the throne room revealed an interesting scene: both Eslaya and Kailla were sitting on their respective thrones, and there was only one other person in the room.

It was one of the awakened Nasod princesses, although she, to me, looked more like a queen than a princess. She had on a black dress covered in white markings with a spiked bottom edge and a hood hanging from behind her neck. She had wings—much like Kailla's, but smaller—emerging from her back. She had a blue tail, the end outfitted with two silver spikes, one emerging from each side. Her hair was a light blue, short, and spiked back, and—she had horns. Blue, scaled horns emerging from the sides of her head, curving back, with darker blue and yellow markings. The pattern was similar also to her boots and gloves—both blue and scaled, with similar markings. I'd never seen anything like it  
before—but one thing I knew. This Nasod was not to be taken lightly.

Though perhaps the strangest part was the small kitten that sat beside her as she knelt on one knee before the two thrones. It was black, which was normal. What was not normal was the fact that, looking closely, it seemed to be emitting… purple flames.

Eslaya glanced over at me as I made my entrance, but she was the only one, as Kailla and the Nasod visitor seemed to be deep in conversation. She waved me over, grinning, and called out to Kailla and the guest. "Look who's awake!"

Both of them looked over at me, and Kailla smiled. She got up from her marble throne, stretched, and waved to the Nasod to stand up. "Stop kneeling already. You really don't have to."

The visitor obliged, nodding, and stood up. I could see now that she was very tall—a good head or two taller than me. She looked at me and smiled kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

I furrowed my brow. "Princess…? Isn't that overdoing it a bit?"

She laughed. "I suppose so. Very well then. It's nice to meet you, Tisae. Kailla was telling me about you."

A small, high pitched meow could be heard from the ground beside her, and she looked down at her small, very distinctly odd kitten.

"Of course," she murmured, "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Altia. I'm one of the Admins of the guild."

So the Nasod wasn't a visitor after all, I realized. And the fact that she hadn't been there yesterday must've meant that she was one of the people Kutaki had mentioned—people who aren't sided with Dark or Light, people who live outside of the guild.

Kailla walked forward until she was beside Altia. "This is one of me and Essy's best friends—she's been with the guild for a long time. Around here, she's known as the third queen."

I cocked my head to the side. "The… _third_ queen? But all this time I've only heard of there being two."

Kailla glanced over at her friend, who was looking away, slightly annoyed. "Alty here doesn't like to show off a lot, so we let her keep it a secret. She's actually really strong."

Altia laughed softly. "Not nearly as strong as you, Kailla." She turned to face me. "I'm usually her sparring partner," she said as she gestured to the Queen of Light, "and she beats me every time. I don't think there's ever been a match where I've beaten her."

Kailla shook her head. "Oh no you don't. It's happened, and we both know it."

The Nasod waved her arms in defeat. "Whatever you say."

"And don't even try to pretend that I'm better than you," Eslaya started, "because we all know that's not true."

Altia closed her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "I won't argue, because there's no point arguing against either of you. But Tisae…"

"Yes?" I answered curiously.

"I was wondering if you'd like to visit my home."

"Dear lord, Alty, explain yourself before she starts blurting out a million questions," Eslaya called.

Altia laughed. "Of course. Well, what can I say? It's an interesting place. Also, I feel like the Princess of Darkness should meet all of her guildmates sooner rather than later." She grinned, amused, and I could tell that she had some ulterior motive for this, but didn't want to question her.

I made myself smile, hopefully into a kind look. "Sure. I'd love to."

Eslaya and Kailla both started laughing, and as I glanced at them, they tried to stop themselves. "W—what are you laughing about?" I asked nervously.

"It's nothing," Altia responded, "and we should get going. No time like the present, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" I blurted as the third queen of the guild walked briskly in front of me.

She looked back and flashed a grin in my direction. "Leikiki Lake. You been there?"

"Yes…" I responded after a moment of thought. "You live there?"

I could hear her call back to me, presumably with an answer, but my hearing was overwhelmed that moment as Altia casually pushed open the doors of the Dark-and-Light palace and stepped outside. I had already seen the view of course, when I'd arrived yesterday. But still—it was breathtaking. The palace was located on a flat, grassy patch of land at the top of the massive waterfall that backed the small passageway known as Ponggo's Hideout.

It was the roar of this waterfall crashing below me that threw away any attempt at conversation with the Nasod. The sky above was shining marvellously, the sunlight glinting off splashes of water and the surrounding wildlife projecting a beautiful green aura.

Below the massive, seemingly floating landmass that the waterfall cascaded off of, I knew, was a complex system of machines that served to power the nearby Altera Village. I also knew that, to get to Leikiki Lake, we'd have to pass through Altera—a prospect I wasn't too happy to be thinking about. That place, with its whirring machines and dark interior, gave me chills when stepping through it.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and glanced over to see an amused-looking Altia staring at me. "I know the waterfall is pretty, but we _are_ in a tad bit of a hurry, you know."

I furrowed my brow. "Why?"

"Secret. Now let's get moving." Without waiting for my response, she started to move away, in the direction of Altera. I, after a moment, grudgingly followed her.

Stepping into the massive cave that was Altera Village, I shuddered immediately as I heard the familiar, hair-raising clanking and whirring of the hundreds of machines that made up the village. The walls and high ceiling made of rough, chiseled stone loomed above, and numerous gears spun in the center of the cave. The whole area was illuminated by massive floodlights arrayed randomly along the walls, and the shadows between them revealed a terrifying darkness.

Although the villagers and other adventurers in the area created a peaceful chatter, the silence that remained between myself and Altia kept gnawing at me until, finally, as we were slowly making our way through, I decided I had to say something. "So… Altia," I started nervously, "Kailla called you the third queen. Why is that?"

She smiled beside me. "I honestly don't know. I suppose because, with a third section of the guild, they needed a third queen."

I turned to her, confused. "But there are only two sections of the guild, right? There's Dark, and then there's Light."

She let out a small laugh. "Well, technically, yes. But when the guild was still starting up, and people were choosing sides, I joked that I would be the "and" in between Dark and Light. And, after that, a few more people decided they wanted to go solo. So I decided to set up a base in my home where those people could come and go as they please. I suppose that was when they decided that I would be the unofficial leader of the soloists in the guild."

"So, you're the queen of not Dark, or Light, but the area in between?"

She nodded, stepping up onto some stairs that, thankfully, seemed to lead out of the village. "I've heard people refer to me as the Queen of Dusk and Dawn—the times of the day when it is not quite night, but not quite day either." She cast a sideways glance in my direction. "Please, though, don't start calling my queen of anything. It… never mind." She seemed reluctant, somehow, to talk about why I shouldn't. "Come on. Let's get moving."

I nodded, happy to get out of the machinated village and away from its eerie atmosphere. Stepping out the tunnel that connected the buried civilization to the outside world was relieving even though the landscape before me was completely desolate. Toretugera Canyon was filled with long walkways and bridges spiralling around tall columns of sedimentary rock, the mountains in the distance enveloped in a long-since abandoned network of tracks and carts. Lizards, scorpions and ancient Nasod workers swarmed the area, and the air was stagnant and cold despite the dim evening sunlight shining upon the area.

But to me, it was still better than Altera village.

Sunlight became moonlight as we stepped, still unspeaking, into the Dicey Sky Road, a small pathway bound by the laws of Elrios into an eternal night.

And just as soon as it had gone dark, the sky changed to a brilliant, sun-filled blue as I set my foot in Leikiki Lake.

The place was breathtakingly beautiful, possible rivalling even Ponggo's Hideout. The air itself was a stunning turquoise that reflected both the sky and the shimmering lake. Twisting pathways and bridges strung a network across the pillars of stone, the lake, and the ancient tribal structures that still stood strong after many long years of wear and tear.

"You live here?" I murmured, still gazing at the shining water that lay below the small cliff we stood on.

"No," Altia answered simply, "although that would be quite pleasant, wouldn't it? No, this place is simply the gateway into my home." She raised her arm and pointed into the distance. "It's over there."

In the direction she was pointing was the giant skeleton of a dragon, half buried in the ground. I'd been there before—there was nothing else there, other than a cave that had collapsed a millennia ago.

If you stepped into the entrance alone, it would just look like a bit of rubble fell from the ceiling. Going farther inside, however, revealed that after the first turn in the tunnel, the path was blocked by a massive, smooth slab of rock that appeared to previously have been located on the ceiling.

"There's nothing over there… right?" I asked, uncertain now that the Nasod was telling me that there _was_ something there.

She, as I expected, shook her head. "It looks like nothing, but that cave holds the only means of passage to the world I live in."

At this I frowned. "You… live in another world?"

She grinned. "You'll see. Let's go, we're almost there." Without another word, she set off once again, faster than before. I, of course, followed.

The cave was dark, damp, and cold, but still a long way better than Altera Village with its constant drone of machinery.

Altia walked in front of me, running her hand along the stone wall as she moved. Soon, we came to the end of the tunnel and stood before the massive sheet of stone rubble that blocked our path.

Without looking back, she held up her hand, signalling me to stay where I was. I did so, and clamped my mouth shut to stop from asking any more questions.

Satisfied, she moved that same gloved hand and pressed it against the stone in front of her, closed her eyes, and seemed to brace herself for something, steadying her legs and clenching her other hand into a fist. After a moment, she opened her mouth and began to chant in a hushed manner.

"I am Altia, empress of the land that lies beyond the sky. I am Altia, Queen of Dusk and Dawn, ruler of the sunset and sunrise. Grant passage to your superior or perish in fire."

A brilliant flash swept through the cavern, instantly blinding me in its fiery glare.

Then, the world went black.

I opened my eyes to darkness—a pure, empty blackness that seemed to stretch for eternity. For a moment it persisted, but then a small sliver of light bit through the black, and slowly widened like an opening door. My mind was strangely clear, free of emotion, and without hesitation I stepped through the darkness into the light.

It was then that I felt like I was losing touch with reality—anyone would, if they were in my shoes. The world that spread out before me was strange and new and not something easily accepted by a human mind.

The sky was a shimmering turquoise, like Leikiki Lake. The clouds were white and puffy. And the ground—the ground was a myriad of colours, from red to yellow to green to blue and purple. It was flat, smooth, transparent and crystalline. It swerved and spiralled around in the massive expanse of sky, twisting upwards to create passage to higher levels or spreading out in a flat plain.

I heard Altia's voice call out beside me. "Luis!" She was waving—and the look on her face was one of pure joy.

In the direction she was looking was a man, dressed in an outfit that almost made him look like a wolf. His hair was blue, he held a sword, and his left arm was mechanical.

He spun around to see her, and smiled widely when he did.

She ran towards him and leapt at him, her arms outstretched into a hug.

After a moment, the Nasod Queen released him, turned back to me, and smiled. "This is Luis, the emperor of this place."

Luis grinned and nodded at me. "Nice to meet you."

Both of them reached out a hand to me, and in unison, called out to me. "Welcome to the Double Rainbows!"


	4. Chapter 4

I would've loved to stay and gaze at the wondrous sky and brilliant pathways that stretched far into the distance, but soon after my arrival I was rushed off to a small meeting room in the crystalline palace that sat at the top of the network of winding walkways.

The room was dim, the only source of light being a small, faintly glowing rune carved into the wooden table in the center. There were 8 chairs placed in a circle around the equally circular table, and the rest of the room was bare.

Five of the chairs held occupants, and two I recognized.

In the chair at the left side of the table sat Altia, leaning back in her chair with one leg over the other. She had let her blue hair down as well as had discarded her boots and gloves for the moment, was yawning, and altogether looked more than a little tired.

Beside her, in the chair between the left and back, was Luis, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table.

In the chair at the back of the table was someone I'd never met. His blond hair was spiked back to the maximum, and he wore a simple set of green clothing. A white mask that covered his mouth and nose was made to look like dog teeth, and he wore a red armband embroidered with a white skull.

Sitting beside him, at the back of the table and to the right, was an elven girl wearing the uniform of the wind hunters, her black hair tied back by a floral pin and a black, metal bow that seemed to double as a blade rested against the side of her chair.

In the front and to the right sat a man with a strangely decorated outfit that was difficult to see because his back was turned and the shadows surrounding him blocked my view.

Altia looked up at me as I stepped in the doorway, tiredly smiling at me. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the empty chairs.

I did so, closing the door and nervously pulling out the front chair and sitting down. "I assume… this is why you wanted us to hurry?"

She nodded, and glanced around. "Everyone, this is Tisae, the new Princess of Darkness, and, if she accepts, our newest helper for our little endeavour."

They all nodded to me and murmured greetings, and I muttered back in kind.

"Tisae," she started, gesturing to me and then to the man at the back, "this is Zap."

Zap waved to me at the mention of his name, and smiled.

"He's not actually part of the guild—not at the moment, at least. There were some…" she frowned, "complications, and he had to leave." The Nasod turned to the elf girl. "This is my friend Scarlet. I've known her for a long time—she hangs out with me here when she has nothing to do. She actually just recently joined the guild though."

Scarlet grinned. "Hey there," she extended a hand across the table. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." I smiled and shook her hand.

"Last but not least is Nate," Altia continued, nodding towards the man to my right. "There's really not much to say, to be honest. He's been in the guild for a while—longer than me, I'm pretty sure—and he's goes solo like everyone else here." She paused. "Well, except for you, that is."

"So," Luis began, "why don't you explain to her why she's here?"

Altia nodded, and turned towards me, making herself comfortable in her wooden chair. "When you were back in the guild, did you notice anything strange?"

I thought for a moment. "No."

"So it's still not powerful enough to show itself to outsiders," she muttered. "That's good, at least. Well, there's something I've suspected for a long time. Something that, if it came true, would destroy the guild.

"Something's splitting the guild in two—into Dark and Light, but not in the way that you'd imagine. On the outside, it merely appears to be what you'd think it is—two sections that work together. But in reality, there's something splitting them apart. Making them hate each other's guts."

She shook her head sadly. "It's not easy to tell—even I have no clue how much they actually hate each other thus far—but I'm sure it's happening. My best guess is that at this point it's still minute, a tiny, unconscious flicker of hatred, but it's growing.

She gestured to the others in the room. "Because all of us aren't a part of either Dark or Light, we're unaffected. And all of us can tell that something's wrong. So we decided to investigate, to get to the root of the problem. And we've found what we think is the truth. You've doubtless seen the Altera Core… correct?"

I nodded, cringing at the memory. The Nasod king, looming above, countless drones surrounding me… I forced the thought out of my head. "Yes… I have."

Altia obviously noticed my reaction, because she looked at me, concerned. "Obviously that place is the reason for your aversion to Altera Village?"

I looked away and nodded once again, slowly this time. "Bad memories," I said simply.

"Well," she continued, "we've found a fluctuation in the Gates of Darkness… a fluctuation that could allow demons to escape to the Altera Core. And the Core is directly beneath the guild… you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," I answered warily.

"In order to access the fluctuation, we need dark magic—I've tried before, nothing else works. I can't bring Essy because she's under the Demons' influence. You, however, use the same magic as her, and you just arrived so you're not affected… yet. With your help, we'll be able to pass through the fluctuation."

"You…" I gulped. "You want me to go back into that place…?"

"All of us here would be with you, we have no connection to either Dark or Light. That's why I've chosen these people. We'll fend off King Nasod and everything else long enough for you to open the fluctuation… at which time I will pass through it and stop whatever's behind it."

Luis shook his head towards Altia. "You're not going in there alone. I won't let you."

She looked over at him. "I have the most experience out of all of us, and I have the best chance of making it back. We still don't know what's in there, after all."

"At least have one other person… please," he pleaded, a painful look on his face. "For my sake."

She sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped." She glanced around the room. "Anyone want to volunteer?" She turned her head back to Luis. "And no, you're not coming. I need you to fend off King Nasod."

I tried to speak, but in nervousness let out a weak cough. "If… if you don't mind, could I go…?"

Altia looked confused for a moment, but then it seemed to dawn on her. "I see… to get away from Altera Core?"

"Yeah…"

She closed her eyes, and opened them, smiling a little. "That could work. It's always handy to have a magician with you." She turned back to the emperor. "You good now?"

"Yeah… Yeah, that's fine," Luis responded in confirmation.

"Then we leave." She stood and placed her hands on the table in superiority. "Anyone have anything they need to do first?"

Four heads shook in unison, and Altia smiled. "Get your weapons. Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, she confidently stepped out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The terrace of the Double Rainbows palace was spectacular, shimmering in a myriad of colours that spun and weaved almost gleefully. It overlooked the massive, twisting landscape of the fantastical realm I found myself in, and I slowly began to feel drawn into it as I stared down at the web-like network of crystalline paths.

The others from the meeting room were running to take up their weapons—I already had mine, so I stood out here waiting for everyone else to be ready.

A presence approached behind me, and I turned to see Scarlet, the elven archer girl. She grinned, and waved with her left hand—her right held the blade-like bow I'd noted earlier.

"You're already done preparations?" I asked her, out of need for something to talk about rather than actual curiosity.

She nodded. "Yeah. I had my bow from the start."

I turned my head back towards the brilliant landscape, unable to think of anything more to say.

"Hey," the elf started, joining me by the railing of the terrace, "Have you seen the animals here in the Double Rainbows?"

"No… there are animals here?"

"Yup!" Scarlet answered enthusiastically. "They're super special, too. You know why? They emit purple fire!" Apparently she didn't realize just how odd that might sound to a newcomer.

"Purple… fire…?" I stuttered in confusion.

"Yup!" She repeated.

A memory of earlier that day came to mind. "You mean… like Altia's cat?"

Another nod, and the same response. "Yup!" She paused. "Though… come to think of it, I haven't actually seen Kitteh today. That's odd, she usually stays right beside Alty all the time."

I could feel the disbelief crawl onto my face. "Its name is_ kitty_?"

"Kitt_eh_," she corrected, emphasizing the ridiculous ending to this so-called-name.

I shook my head, giving up. "Whatever."

"Did you…" she started worriedly, "See Kitteh today, possibly?"

"Yeah, back at the guild headquarters."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "And not since?"

I thought back, and slowly nodded after a moment. "That _is_ weird… I haven't seen the cat since then—did it not come with us outside the guild?"

Scarlet shook her head assuredly. "No, that can't be true. Kitteh _always _stays beside Alty."

"Would ya stop with the depressing talk already?" A feminine voice called sweetly from behind me. "Kitteh's always been rather aloof, I'm sure she's fine."

Instinctively turning around, I looked back at the doorway that connected the terrace to the rest of the palace—and saw nothing. It took a moment for me to realize that the girl who had called out was not standing there, but instead sitting on the roof of the palace above the doorway.

It was another elven archer, like Scarlet. She was sitting on the edge of the roof, one leg crossed over the other. She had long brown hair tied to the side, a cat ears headband, and the same uniform as Scarlet, that of the wind hunters—except Scarlet's was white, and this one was blue. Massive blue wings extended from her back, scaled and intricately decorated by darker blue and gold patches, matching Altia's horns, gloves and boots both in colour and structure.

Scarlet waved cheerfully. "How's it going, Kyudo?"

The elf girl shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I just got back from the guild headquarters—the empress told me to go see how bad the demonic influences have gotten."

"And?" I interjected. "How bad is it?"

She was silent for a moment, and then leapt off the roof onto the terrace with us, landing nimbly, bending down into a crouch as she hit the ground.

Standing up, she reached her hand out to me. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess." She tilted her head to the side in confusion when I hesitated. "Do I need to bow or something?"

"Ah—no. No, you don't have to bow." I took her hand. "You can… um… you can call me Tisae."

"Nice to meet you then, Tisae." She released my hand and stepped back, leaning on the railing on the side of the terrace. "As for your question… Well, it's not good. The effects are certainly starting to set in, although each member seems to be keeping their misgivings to themselves for the moment."

"Because… they think they're the only one feeling that way?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah… that sounds about right. But once one of them tells the rest…?"

"Chaos erupts," Scarlet answered.

"And the guild falls apart." They both turned to look at me.

Kyudo sighed. "Put bluntly, yes. The Dark side and Light side would split apart, leaving the few of us not aligned to either with nothing. Kailla and the Light would take the guild name, and Dark would most likely form their own, smaller guild. We'd be alone."

"Which is what this whole mission is all about," Altia murmured as she stepped through the doorway and joined us. Her hair was still down, but she'd put her boots and gloves back on, and two drones, blue and formed like chunks of shimmery ice crystal, hovered just off the ground, one on either side of her.

"Empress," Kyudo nodded in greeting.

The Nasod gestured back towards the door. "The rest of them are ready, we should be going soon." She hesitated, then turned to Kyudo. "Are you coming with?"

A shrug. "Sure, why not? I don't have much else to do at the moment."

"Grab your bow, quickly. We'll be waiting at the dimension gate."

"Yes ma'am," she answered jokingly, already heading back into the palace.

I opened my mouth to question this "dimension gate" but realized after a moment that it was probably the link between worlds—and I also realized I'd asked way too many questions already.

Altia turned to me. "You have your staff?"

I nodded, and picked it up from where it leaned against the railing beside me. "Right here," I answered, standing up straight and leaning the staff over my shoulder.

Scarlet did the same, wielding her blade-like bow and swinging it experimentally.

"Follow me," the Nasod turned back to the door, "I'll show you where everyone's waiting."

The "dimension gate" wasn't where I had expected it to be. I'd thought we'd be heading back to the plaza where we'd entered the Double Rainbows from—but then again, there hadn't exactly been a return portal in that area.

Instead, we descended deeper into the palace, into the basements with dim lighting and a cold atmosphere. At the end of one of the many hallways, we arrived at our destination.

The dimension gate. A massive, dark purple—almost black—circular portal, the edge a solid ring that seemed to be some kind of metal, and the area inside a hazy mist. The outer ring was emblazoned with countless small symbols, some recognizable as magic runes and some foreign to me.

It sat on the back wall of a decently large room, the walls a plain blue with scattered torches for lighting and weapon racks, as well as a carpeting that seemed to have been slowly deteriorated into a dark mess from years of use.

Standing, sitting, and tensely lazing around, the rest of our small entourage waited for us. Luis had discarded his wolfish costume for an elegant—but fearsome—white coat and black pants, a mask covering half of his face. He leaned on his sword, a terrifyingly large orange and silver ornate blade.

Zap leaned against the wall, his hand loosely supporting his Destroyer, which was blue on one end, red on the other, and had small yellow capsules protruding from the surface.

Nate, who I hadn't been able to see very clearly back in the meeting room, had short, smooth purple hair and scaly blue horns like Altia's, and wore a slightly gaudy-looking red and gold ensemble, a matching Destroyer serving as his chair as he sat to the side of the large room.

Kyudo was already there as well, aiming imaginary arrows at the wall with her shockingly large bow, a complex of dark pipes that somehow served as a bow—though I felt that even without shooting capabilities, the monstrous thing was sure to be a very effective weapon.

Altia stepped forward, and the four turned to look at us. "Took you long enough," Zap said.

"Takes _you _long enough to shut up and let us get moving, huh?" Silence followed the Nasod's remark. "I'm joking. But seriously, let's go."

Kyudo, who I hadn't noticed sneaking up behind me before now, gave me a tiny shove in the direction of the looming portal. "Why don't you go first?"

I glanced back. "Wha—why? I—" I stopped mid-sentence seeing her mischievous grin, and sighed. "Fine."

Nate let out a small laugh. Altia looked sidelong at him. "If Kailla was here she'd smack you over the head with her staff, you know." That only served to make him burst out into stronger laughter, and she seemed to give up, shrugging and turning away.

She nodded to the portal. "Go ahead, you just have to step through it and you'll be back in Elrios."

I nodded and caught my breath, stepping forward. I could feel my limbs shaking in a nervous fear, and I forced myself to calm down. _It's just a single step, _I told myself. _One step and it's over._

The dark mist of the portal enveloped me.


	6. Chapter 6

Instantly, my head swam with rampant malice, spite, confusion, despair, and most of all, fear. I couldn't tell where I was. I could see, but I couldn't figure out _what _I was seeing. My brain was overloaded, drowned in a million negative emotions that just kept on getting stronger and stronger.

My consciousness spun, faded, sputtered, and died.

The world shimmered. The breathtakingly blue lake bore into my eyes with its beauty.

Then it died. Everything died and left only darkness behind.

The ground at the edge of the lake was coated with soft, emerald green grass.

Then it was swallowed up by the darkness.

There was someone there. Sitting on the emerald grass, gazing at the shimmering lake.

It was a girl. She died too.

An elf. Jet black medium-length hair, tied back to one side with a red, flowered ribbon. A massive helmet obscuring the top of her head, purple and gold and black. An orange visor hiding her eyes. Red lengths of material wrapped around the bottom of her face. Her face that couldn't be seen. White, gold, red and black shirt and shorts. Blue and gold boots, with chain leggings. White, blue and gold gloves. A spiked blue tail curled around her as she sat. A single wing on her right side, gold and brown, small blades hovering below it. Brown and gold shoulder plates inlaid with jewels. Red, green, blue, yellow, purple, white.

I stared.

She turned and looked at me.

Everything died.


End file.
